WEDNESDAY, MAY 27th - DAY 14:
5:30am - Thank goodness for a great night's sleep… and down the street for coffee. Stopped at a motel next door, and asked how much they'd charge me to let me use one of their 'jacuzzi suites' for a 15 minute hot tub. The morning manager looked at me with a puzzled stare. I like bringing people out of the boxes.
7:45am - On the road. I wanted to verify how far 'til next gas, so I stopped and asked a blonde who was finishing up washing her car at the car wash across the street. Cheryl Holms… a mortgage broker from Janesville. Very cordial… very cute… and very married.
8:45am - Doyle (the town of). Almost took time to stop at "Honey Lake Campground". Honey was disappointed, but I knew she'd forgive me. She knew there were a lot of beautiful scenery and lots of fun ahead of us today.
9:30am - I woulda been at my sister's house, except for the detour I took to try and find the ceremonial grounds of The International Community of Christ, at Red Rock. I wanted to say a prayer for my sister that she continues to find peace without the Church in her life. I wanted to call her and surprise her after I had done my 'prayer service' for her, but I couldn't find the place, and called her for directions.
She wasn't willing to give me the emotional energy it would take her, to tell me how to get there. What a shame. She was the 'second in command' of the Church for about 25 years, but when the Founder retired and his sons took control, they ousted her. They wanted to turn the Church into a business, and Jackie wanted to keep it a Religion. What a fiasco. The membership is dwindling. The Church is dying. My sister is heartbroken. Gotta change the subject…
10:00am - Jackie's house. Mark (her husband) was out teaching… either tai-kwan-do or trumpet… I'm not sure which. He's also a para-legal… a very amazing man. He played with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra in Carnegie Hall a few years ago. I love Mark.
I spoke with Cheri (Jackie's grand-daughter) and Derek (Cheri's husband), petted the two black labs and… had my first hug with my youngest great-grand-nephew JC. Jackson Claybourn was born about 4 months previously, and I was in heaven. He smiled up at me from my arms while gazing into my eyes. He played with my lips and got his finger smudges all over my sunglasses. Wonderful wonderful.
I had upset Jackie with my attempts at sending her my healing energy, and I knew from experience that I wasn't gonna be able to make things better, so I made my stop in Reno pretty short.
10:15am - Back on the road, and up the hill to North Shore (Lake Tahoe). I'd decided to check out the ski resort at Mt. Rose… my nephew Roger's favorite hangout, while he lived there. He was a daredevil… I miss him.
When I got to the top, they were doing re-construction/ maintenance so I wasn't able to have the cocktail I was hoping for, but I was able to meet some really fun people standing on the side of the road, getting ready to jump off.
E-Man, Jeff, John, Steve, Bill, Paul, Kelly and Nancy. There were others, but they were just getting there as I was leaving.
E-Man pointed me towards a placard that they put up, in remembrance of one of their friends, a lost comrade, Doug Cook. Doug had died in a tragic accident while racing his motorcycle in Southern California on Oct. 21st, 1999.
Doug had previously set all the distance records for hang gliding off this spot: West - 15 miles to Squaw Valley; South - 85 miles to Coveland; East -132 miles to Dry Patch; and North - 144 miles to Susanville. I could see the look of love, respect, and reverence in the eyes of all of them. He was obviously a marvelous man.
11:30am - Stopped just down the road to pick up a rock I saw in the middle of the road on my way up. I strapped it to the top of my tail bag, and am gonna keep it, to remind me of my nephew Roger, and of Doug, the great man I never met.
Noon - I decided to stop at 'The Potlatch', a clothing and collectables store, and said hi to the owner and friend, Lynn McGinty. I'd always wished she would like me as more than a friend, but she's a great gal and I'm happy to know her in any way she wants.
12:15pm - I stopped twice to go skinny-dipping in Lake Tahoe, but turned around both times. First time, 'cuz the trail was longer than I'd remembered, the second because I slipped and fell on my ass (and elbow), and didn't want to risk further injury or insult.
1:30pm - Just south of Carson City. I pulled up next to a young blonde gal at a stoplight and asked how much further down the road it was, 'til the next gas. I like to use the gas station location thing as an excuse to talk to pretty blondes. Britney was about 22-ish, a hippy looking girl, and had a genuine smile for me.
About 15 miles down the road something interesting hit me. We (Honey & I) were cruising at about 75 mph, and all of a sudden I noticed there was absolutely no wind in our faces. Before I could fully process the oddness of this sensation… BLAMMO… a wall of wind pounded into me from the left, like a Mack truck, almost hard enough for me to loose control of Honey's reigns, as I found myself fighting to keep us on the road. Then… just as quickly as it happened, the wind went back to the normal speed and direction.
I glanced into my rear view mirror, and saw a large dust devil moving off the road and across the prairie. I estimated its size to be about 40 feet in diameter, and about 100 feet tall. Hello. Nature does have a way of waking you up and giving you the taste of coffee, doesn't it?
2:00pm - Topaz Lake, and there was the gas, just as Britney had promised it would be. Honey took almost exactly 4 gallons… after galloping almost exactly 160 miles, which meant she got almost exactly 40 miles per gallon. Honey and I sure love the mountains. We are in our element when we're above seven thousand feet and surrounded by Mother Nature and Daughter Beauty.
3:00pm - Left Lee Vining with Richard, a fellow biker brother, who was telling me that when he was younger, he and his buddy Scott climbed Half Dome three times in less than 18 hours. I told him that when my buddy Brian and I did it, we took 18 hours to do it once, and felt like whipped puppies as we limped back to our car at the Valley Floor. If Richard is telling the truth, he is a superman. Oh to be young, virile, and good looking. At least I have two out of three of those attributes.
3:30pm - Stopped for a photo at Tioga Pass Entrance to Yosemite. 9,945 feet, light rain, some sleet, hail, and I took off my shirt to document the moment. Is that virility, or is it insanity?
4:00pm - After pulling back on the road after a beer and a poddy break, I fell in behind a group of four riders, and followed them at their putt putt speed for about 10 miles, until they pulled over at one of my favorite viewpoint in the world. Looking southwest over Clouds Rest and Half Dome.
Werner, Jean-Pierre, Gerardo, and Carlito were Italians who'd flown to Chicago, rented their bikes, and followed Route 66 to Las Vegas… then went north on 395 and had just come over Tioga, right behind me.
They were headed west to San Francisco, before going down the coast to LA, to catch a flight back to Italy. What a fun bunch of guys. We talked, laughed and shared my last beer as a communion offering to: safety, fun, and girls.
6:00pm - Crane Flat for gas and beer. Said goodbye to Richard who rode up, as I was getting ready to take off. I told him we'd have to stop meeting like this, that people were gonna start to talk. 6 times in about 50 miles we'd pulled over together: 1 - Lee Vining; 2 - Ice Lake; 3 - Tioga Pass; 4 - Tuolumne Meadows; 5 - Clouds Rest overlook; and 6 - Crane Flat.
7:00pm - Rain. Torrential Rain. Lots of lighting and thunder… right on top of Honey and I. Less than a second between the flash and the booming, roaring, bone shaking claps of thunder. I stopped at Rainbow Pool and stood there in the parking lot and smiled like an idiot. It was fantastic.
The warm spring thunderstorms in the Sierra's are part of my upbringing. For anyone who hasn't experienced them… I'm very sorry for you. I can still smell and taste the air, and feel the rejuvenating benefits of God's Bathing Love, washing away all my sins and making me pure once again. So I can go out and sin some more. Kidding.
8:00pm - I was soaked to the bone, but I was happy happy happy. I arrived at Tokosaben, my home away from the coast, which I've been visiting for the last 39 years. Virginia (my surrogate mother, since mine died) and her grand-daughter Ambria are always very kind and loving to me.
9:00pm - Asleep on the couch, what a great day.
377 miles for the day, 3,157 for the trip.
